-
230 Champagne AC NV Extra-Brut Le Cotet
Jacques LassaigneGrape:100% Chardonnay BdeB (12.5% alc.)
Lassaigne’s top cuvée comes from 0.6 hectares of 45 year old vines. It’s a blend of 2007 (70%, of which 7% was aged in oak) and bottles of 2005 Le Cotet (which incorporated some 2002) kept fresh under capsule. This helps to give it more reserve than his other cuvée. It has a very pure, bracing fruit with hints of honeysuckle, straw, hazelnut and just 2g/l of dosage. Very limited quantity. For drinking now to 2012.
Technical Information Winemaker: Emmanuel Lassaigne Location: Montgueux, west of Troyes Size of
domaine:5 hectares (of which 0.6 for Le Côtet) Grape: 100% Chardonnay, 45 years old. 8000 vines per hectare. Terroir: Upper hillsides of Montgueux. Older strata of chalk (upper cretaceous) than in the Côte des Blancs. South-east facing vineyard and 20% slope, thin soil, just 10 to 40cm over the chalk – a little flint also found in the soil. 1 small parcel of vines only. Viticulture: Organic though not certified. No herbicides or pesticides. The soil is ploughed 1 row in 2 (alternated every other year). Debudding sometimes carried out but no vendanges en vert. Because they are in the south of Champagne, harvest earlier than in the north and by hand. 50 hectos per hectare. Vinification: Pressed by old vertical 400kg Coquard press. Small stainless steel cuves used for fermentation, plus 3-6 year old 225 litre barrels. Natural indigenous yeasts only used. Works with very little sulphur, and only used at the vendange. First fermentation averages 11% with no chaptalisation. The fermentation lasts for between 1.5 to 4 months. Malolactics completed 100%. 70% is made from the main vintage, of which 7% is aged in oak and 30% from the preceding vintage (all aged in champagne bottles sealed with cap). Neither fined nor filtered. Bottled off in May after harvest with just 20 g/l of sugar (the norm is 24 g/l) to give a finer, more gentle mousse. Aged for 20 months sur latte. Disgorged with a 2g/l dosage using their own liqueur and other bottles of LC to replace the 3% of champagne lost at degorgement. No sulphur added at degorgement. Keeps the wine for 4 months in his underground cave before release. Press: